Work on Dakota Access Pipeline Moves Forward

Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under a North Dakota reservoir has begun, with the full pipeline expected to be operational by May, the developer of the project announced on Thursday. But American Indian activists, who have been protesting the construction of the pipeline for nearly a year, have vowed to continue their efforts in court to stop the work and protect their water supply. On Wednesday, the U.S. Army granted Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) formal permission to lay pipe under Lake Oahe, which will enable the developer to complete the 1,200-mile, $3.8 billion project. The finished pipeline will run from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa, to an existing pipeline in Illinois. As TFK reported, protests against the project have centered on a section of the pipeline that will run near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Work was stalled for months due to opposition from the tribe and its supporters. In January, President Donald Trump instructed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls the land on which the pipeline is being built, to advance construction on the project.

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